The father of Joanna Yeates has welcomed news that a 32-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering her.
The suspect was held at an undisclosed location “early this morning” by detectives investigating her death.
He is the second person to be arrested since her frozen body was found dumped on the verge of a lane on the outskirts of Bristol on Christmas Day.
Police closed off Canynge Road as scaffolding and green tarpaulin was delivered to the rear of the building where Miss Yeates rented a ground-floor flat.
The move prompted speculation that police were investigating fresh leads at the large converted Victorian property.
Speaking at the family home in Ampfield, Hampshire, David Yeates, 63, said he is “pleased” the police investigation is “moving forward”.
He said: “We know as much as you do. We were told at 6am this morning that someone was arrested on suspicion of Jo’s murder and their age.”
Miss Yeates, 25, disappeared on Friday December 17 after going for Christmas drinks with colleagues at her architectural firm. Her boyfriend Greg Reardon, 27, reported her missing after he returned to Bristol on December 19 following a weekend away visiting family in Sheffield.
A huge police operation swung into action after her body was found on Longwood Lane, Failand, North Somerset, on Christmas Day morning.
Miss Yeates’s landlord Chris Jefferies, 65, was arrested on December 30 and questioned for three days on suspicion of murder before being released on bail.
